From the Book

Note: This excerpt does not include the lesson files. The lesson files are available with purchase of the book.

Lesson overview

Photoshop Elements offers a comprehensive suite of easy-to-use tools and a choice of three editing modes, so it’s easy to achieve impressive results, whatever your experience level. Guided edit mode helps novices to learn as they work, Quick edit presents an array of one-touch controls for correcting common image problems, and Expert mode delivers all the power and sophistication experienced users expect.

This lesson begins with an overview of the core concepts behind image correction, and then introduces a range of quick and easy techniques to help you get more from your photos in just a few clicks:

Making quick and easy edits in the Organizer

Batch-processing photos and using automatic fixes

Understanding the histogram, levels, and white balance

Making Quick Fix adjustments

Working in Guided edit mode

Applying editing presets selectively with the Smart Brush

Correcting an image using Smart Fix

Working with camera raw images

You’ll probably need between one and two hours to complete this lesson. If you haven’t already done so, download the Lesson 4 work files from the Lesson & Update Files tab of your Account page at www.peachpit.com.

Explore the many powerful and versatile editing tools that make it easy to get more from your photos in Photoshop Elements—even if you’re a beginner. Start with a few of the easy-to-use, one-step image correction features, and then experiment with some more advanced techniques, such as layering preset adjustments with the Smart Brush.

Getting started

You’ll start by importing the sample images for this lesson to your CIB Catalog.

Start Photoshop Elements and click Organizer in the Welcome Screen. Check the lower right corner of the Organizer workspace to make sure the CIB Catalog is loaded—if not, choose File > Manage Catalogs and select it from the list.

Click the Import button at the upper left of the Organizer workspace and choose From Files And Folders from the drop-down menu. In the Get Photos And Videos From Files And Folders dialog box, locate and select your Lesson 4 folder. Disable the automatic processing options; then, click Get Media.

Before you start this lesson, make sure that you’ve set up a folder for your lesson files and downloaded the Lesson 4 folder from your Account page at www.peachpit.com, as detailed in “Accessing the Classroom in a Book files” in the chapter “Getting Started” at the beginning of this book. You should also have created a new work catalog (see “Creating a catalog for working with this book” in Lesson 1).